Notes
After an up and down past two weeks, wasn't sure I would get to the starting line but the quad held up so I went for it. I love the idea of the half as a tune up race a month out and wanted to get in a good predictor race. The weather had other plans and despite the lack of rain and snow, the wind was out in full force. I've done this race 4 times now and I've come to expect the wind around the 9.5 - 11 mile stretch, but today was something else.
Mile 1 had some decent headwind but being right at the start, everyone was still fresh and could fight through it and huddle together a little more. I briefly got caught between packs about 1/2 mile in and knew I should be up with the pack in front as I recognized some of the usual suspects so I made a brief surge through the wind to get up with the pack. I probably had to surge a 5:00 pace shuffle to get up there but the wind took even more out of me. Normally I would expect mile 1 to come in at 5:25 or so, but hitting 5:29 was a battle.
Mile 2 still had a little wind to contend with but it also began the series of hills. Hitting mile 5:30's was the target and maintained. Mile 3 and 4 again were right where I wanted to be, averaging about 5:30 as I went up and down the hills and dealing with more of a sidewind.
Mile 5 is where the fun begins with a gradual downhill and today, a nice tailwind. Hitting low 5:20's is expected and is where you need to make up for the hills and usual headwinds. Normally this stretch would extend into mile 6 and 7. Right before the 7 mile marker the headwind reared its ugly head a bit earlier than anticipated and put an end to the fast cruising. From about 6.8 to the 7.5 mile marker, the wind was angry and just blew me all over. It was either pushing me into the cones or standing me up. Luckily after the 7.5 mark we made a turn and got some relief over the next 2 miles. Miles 8 and 9 can sometimes still be fast but today it ate away at my pace and I dipped down to the mid 5:30's and working to keep it.
Now, every year you KNOW that at the 9.5 mark, you turn by the water and get blasted by the headwind. You know it's coming and wont be fun, but you're deal with it and suck it up. Today was unlike anything else. I wish I knew what the wind was blowing at, but it was a hard steady wind. The white caps on the water were a telltale sign that New Bedford would take no prisoners this day. I got caught behind a group of 3 runners who eventually picked up a 4th, I was sitting about 30 yards back, a bit too much to surge into the wind to make up the difference. They got to draft (they seemed to be pretty fair about taking turns too), I was alone. I actually made up a little ground on them, but it took a lot of energy. The 6:30 pace into the wind honestly felt like sub 5:30 effort. I had a heavy forward lean into the wind and had trouble keeping a straight line. About mid-way through, the group of 4 turned to 3 as a guy in yellow dropped out/took a break. I really felt like joining but fought through. I had no excuse to drop out other than being a baby, it was tough but everyone was dealing with it.
By this point I stopped looking at my watch, any attempt for racing for time was lost.
Place Div/Tot Div Name Ag S No. Net Tim Pace 10k Spl Age % Gun Tim Team City
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1 1/6 TOP3 LOUIS SERAFINI 25 M 1799 1:06:19 5:04 30:41 83.29 1:06:20 HEARTBREAKERS Brighton
2 2/6 TOP3 RUBEN SANCA 30 M 2438 1:06:53 5:07 30:40 82.59 1:06:54 WHIRLAWAY RACING TEAM Chelmsford
3 3/6 TOP3 AMOS SANG 28 M 2519 1:07:13 5:08 30:41 82.18 1:07:14 Western Mass Distance Project Chicopee
4 1/201 M2029 BRIAN HARVEY 29 M 2476 1:07:19 5:09 31:33 82.05 1:07:20 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Boston
5 2/201 M2029 MATT FISCHER 24 M 2483 1:07:21 5:09 31:33 82.01 1:07:22 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Brighton
6 3/201 M2029 CHRISTOPHER ALLEN 23 M 2450 1:07:38 5:10 31:33 81.65 1:07:40 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Norfolk
7 4/201 M2029 JASON AYR 29 M 2515 1:07:47 5:11 31:22 81.49 1:07:48 Western Mass Distance Project Allston
8 1/306 M3039 RYAN PLACE 30 M 2105 1:07:46 5:11 31:26 81.47 1:07:49 Cambridge
9 5/201 M2029 DAN HARPER 27 M 2477 1:07:48 5:11 31:22 81.47 1:07:49 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Cambridge
10 6/201 M2029 BRAD MISH 29 M 2462 1:08:36 5:15 31:33 80.50 1:08:38 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Dorchester
11 2/306 M3039 DAN VASSALLO 31 M 2499 1:08:55 5:16 31:26 80.11 1:08:58 CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS Peabody
12 7/201 M2029 JOHN BUSQUE 25 M 1386 1:09:34 5:19 31:27 79.38 1:09:36 MANCHESTER RUNNING COMPANY Manchester
13 8/201 M2029 EVERETT HACKETT 26 M 1915 1:09:34 5:19 31:26 79.36 1:09:37 TEAM NACHO CHEESE West Hartford
14 3/306 M3039 ROBERT GOMEZ 33 M 1352 1:10:07 5:21 31:54 78.84 1:10:10 DIRIGO RC Windham
15 9/201 M2029 ANDREW ERSKINE 25 M 1142 1:10:08 5:22 31:50 78.70 1:10:12 BATTLE ROAD TRACK CLUB Brighton
16 10/201 M2029 MANUEL GONZALEZ 27 M 1956 1:10:28 5:23 31:47 78.37 1:10:30 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Cambridge
17 11/201 M2029 THOMAS PAQUETTE 25 M 1843 1:10:32 5:23 32:13 78.31 1:10:33 Keene
18 4/306 M3039 NATE JENKINS 36 M 2500 1:10:37 5:24 31:15 78.90 1:10:37 CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS North Andover
19 12/201 M2029 NICK AGUILA 27 M 2398 1:10:40 5:24 32:01 78.15 1:10:42 MILLENIUM RUNNING Manchester
20 5/306 M3039 DENNIS ROCHE 30 M 2518 1:10:41 5:24 32:32 78.13 1:10:43 Western Mass Distance Project Springfield
21 6/306 M3039 SCOTT LESLIE 35 M 2502 1:10:41 5:24 32:37 78.50 1:10:45 CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS Rutland
22 13/201 M2029 CHRIS HARMON 29 M 1530 1:10:43 5:24 32:37 78.06 1:10:47 DIRIGO RC Portland
23 1/317 M4049 DAVID BEDOYA 40 M 2446 1:10:45 5:24 32:39 80.29 1:10:48 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Somerville
24 7/306 M3039 DAVID METZGER 30 M 1955 1:10:46 5:24 32:32 78.04 1:10:48 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Roslindale
25 8/306 M3039 ROBERT ESPINOSA 32 M 1944 1:10:52 5:25 32:38 77.92 1:10:55 Brookline
26 9/306 M3039 ROBERT DELEO 34 M 1849 1:11:02 5:26 32:38 77.94 1:11:05 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Brookline
27 14/201 M2029 PATRICK CARROLL 25 M 855 1:11:28 5:28 31:57 77.27 1:11:30 Schenectady
28 15/201 M2029 CARSON TRUESDELL 21 M 1197 1:11:31 5:28 32:13 77.24 1:11:32 Chestnut Hill
29 16/201 M2029 TIM GILL 24 M 2521 1:11:49 5:29 33:12 76.91 1:11:50 Western Mass Distance Project Allston
30 17/201 M2029 DAVE MOYER 27 M 527 1:11:57 5:30 32:59 76.77 1:11:58 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Jamaica Plain
31 10/306 M3039 IAN NEILL 32 M 1958 1:12:26 5:32 32:39 76.24 1:12:29 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Cambridge
32 18/201 M2029 ERIC MCDONALD 27 M 2440 1:12:35 5:33 33:08 76.08 1:12:37 WHIRLAWAY RACING TEAM Plaistow
33 19/201 M2029 ZACHARY SWITAJ 24 M 2400 1:12:34 5:33 33:06 76.08 1:12:37 MILLENIUM RUNNING Dover
34 20/201 M2029 SAMUEL GRAY 21 M 2441 1:12:55 5:34 33:24 75.70 1:12:59 WHIRLAWAY RACING TEAM Exeter
35 21/201 M2029 ROBERT ALLEN JR 24 M 2642 1:13:01 5:35 32:38 75.63 1:13:03 Cranston
36 11/306 M3039 JAIDIBY ZAPATA 31 M 2399 1:13:03 5:35 32:51 75.62 1:13:04 MILLENIUM RUNNING Milford
37 12/306 M3039 ERIC MENDOZA 32 M 1957 1:13:30 5:37 33:25 75.15 1:13:32 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Dorchester
38 22/201 M2029 LOUIS SAVIANO 26 M 1609 1:13:42 5:38 33:28 74.93 1:13:44 THE BOYS TC Sandown
39 13/306 M3039 ROBERT NORCROSS 35 M 649 1:13:55 5:39 33:56 75.09 1:13:58 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Mansfield
40 14/306 M3039 SHAUN DEVER 30 M 1653 1:13:56 5:39 33:42 74.68 1:13:59 GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB Brighton
41 15/306 M3039 CHRISTOPHER KLUCZNIK 34 M 2738 1:13:58 5:39 33:44 74.84 1:14:02 Needham
42 16/306 M3039 SEAN HYLAND 32 M 2472 1:14:18 5:41 34:44 74.33 1:14:21 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Andover
43 17/306 M3039 TJ UNGER 38 M 995 1:14:13 5:40 34:33 75.58 1:14:21 HFC STRIDERS Westwood
44 18/306 M3039 DANIEL BUTTON 30 M 1760 1:14:18 5:41 33:59 74.28 1:14:23 SISU PROJECT Acton
45 23/201 M2029 PAUL GENNARO 22 M 1256 1:14:25 5:41 32:30 74.23 1:14:26 FOREST HILLS RUNNERS New London
46 19/306 M3039 DAN SMITH 38 M 2520 1:14:23 5:41 34:41 75.46 1:14:28 Western Mass Distance Project Shelburne Falls
47 20/306 M3039 BRIAN MCNAMARA 34 M 2668 1:14:28 5:41 34:43 74.35 1:14:31 greater boston track club Cambridge
48 21/306 M3039 IAN NURSE 39 M 2458 1:14:29 5:41 34:44 75.82 1:14:31 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Brookline
49 1/226 M5059 PETER HAMMER 50 M 2478 1:14:29 5:41 34:41 82.73 1:14:34 BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Needham
50 24/201 M2029 JOHN CORONA 24 M 1491 1:14:30 5:42 34:32 74.09 1:14:34 FLYNN RUNNING Portsmouth